Former US President Woodrow Wilson commemorated in Warsaw

The plaque, which US Ambassador Paul Jones was expected to present to the city of Warsaw, was designed to commemorate Wilson for his role in championing the independence of Poland, regained in 1918 after more than 120 years of foreign rule.

Monday, January 8, marks 100 years since President Wilson’s famous “Fourteen Points” address to the U.S. Congress, in which he called for Poland’s independence.

Point 13 of President Wilson’s Fourteen Points Declaration spoke of the need to establish an independent Polish state, “which should include the territories inhabited by indisputably Polish population, which should be assured a free and secure access to the sea and whose political and economic independence and territorial integrity should be guaranteed by international covenant.”

America was the first country to recognise Poland’s independence after World War I. In 1919, President Wilson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and in 1922 Poland conferred upon him its highest state distinction, the Order of the White Eagle.

The plaque honouring President Wilson comes as part of the American embassy’s “100 Years Together: People, History, Future” initiative marking the centenary of Poland’s independence.

The US embassy in December launched celebrations of the centennials of Poland regaining independence and the establishment of US-Polish diplomatic relations.

Last year marked the Year of Woodrow Wilson in the Polish capital.

(mk/gs)